1 - Introduction ~5 mins
Welcome
You already named a real spreadsheet problem for your Something Real project. Today you look at ready-made starting points: the default template gallery in Excel for the web or Google Sheets (whichever suite your school uses). A good template can save hours; a bad fit wastes them. You will learn how to browse the gallery, open a few starters safely, and spot which two could give your Module 3 sheet a sensible starting layout.
Have this ready: open the spreadsheet problem statement you wrote earlier in this module (or the note your teacher gives you). You will match templates to that problem today.
What you will walk out with
By the time you close your laptop today you should be able to find your way around the template gallery on whichever suite your school uses, say when a ready-made layout is worth taking and when a blank sheet would serve you better, and name two templates that could give your Something Real sheet a structure to start from.
Warm-up
Think of one document or sheet you have built from scratch this year. Would a ready-made layout have helped, or would it have forced you into the wrong shape? Keep that answer in mind as you browse.
2 - Key Concepts ~6 mins
Templates are pre-built spreadsheet layouts with headings, sample data, and often formulas already in place. Use them when the structure matches your problem; start blank when your layout is unusual or the template fights you.
| Concept | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Spreadsheet template — a ready-made workbook with layout, sample rows, and often built-in formulas | You skip reinventing columns and formulas when the structure already fits your problem | A monthly budget template for a side hustle selling custom stickers at a local market |
| Template gallery — the library of starter workbooks inside Excel for the web or Google Sheets | You can compare options quickly before committing time to building from blank | Budget, invoice, schedule, expense report, project tracker, and inventory starters |
| When a template helps — the columns, sheets, and formulas match the question you need to answer | You keep energy for real project data instead of layout chores | A project tracker template for Work Experience hours and weekly tasks |
| When blank is better — your data shape is unusual, or the template's extra sheets and sample text get in the way | Fighting a wrong template costs more time than building a simple sheet yourself | A GAA club needs one custom match-stats layout that no gallery template matches |
| Read before you edit — when you browse any gallery starter, scroll every sheet and check formula cells before changing numbers | Built-in formulas break easily if you delete the wrong row or overwrite a formula cell with plain text | — |
Worked example: two sensible picks
Aoife's Something Real is a small enterprise pitch for handmade candles. Her problem statement asks whether she breaks even at 40 units. In the gallery she shortlists as follows:
- Template 1: Budget (costs, income, totals) — could hold unit costs and sales income for the break-even question.
- Template 2: Project tracker (tasks and dates) — could plan production steps and market days.
- Rejected: Invoice — she is not billing customers yet, so the layout does not match her problem.
Her notes name each template, one sentence on what it is for, and one sentence on how it could answer her break-even question.
The opposite of starting from a template: you are handed a finished spreadsheet on paper, with its row numbers and column letters showing, and you rebuild it in a blank sheet. Same values in the same cells, same headings, same shading and alignment, and column widths adjusted so nothing is cut off.
Nothing can be copied, because there is nothing to copy from. Reading a layout off a page and putting it back into a blank sheet is the most common way this task arrives from someone who is not sitting beside you.
3 - Step-by-step Task ~15 mins
Watch your teacher's demo on the classroom screen first, then work through the same path on your own school account, using one suite only — whichever one you log in to.
Your job is to open the template gallery and browse two starters from it: a budget template and a tracker template. A schedule template is worth a look as well if you finish early. In each one, click through the sheet tabs and click a total cell to see whether there is a formula behind it, because that tells you how much of the work is already done for you. Leave the sample data exactly as it is — nothing gets typed in today. As you go, jot down the exact name the gallery gives each template and one short thing you noticed about it, because you will need both names later.
For this slot: browse and note only.
4 - Common Issues ~4 mins
Common Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| I cannot find a Budget or Tracker template | School accounts sometimes show a shorter gallery. Search for words like budget, expense, schedule, planner, tracker, or inventory, or open the closest match and note how you would adapt it. |
| I edited the sample data and now I am worried I ruined the template | Opening a gallery starter creates a normal cloud file in your OneDrive or Drive. It is not a single shared class file. Leave the sample alone for browsing, then close the tab. Delete the sample or rename it {{code:template_browse_only}} later so it is not mixed with project work. Do not treat today's browse file as finished portfolio work. |
| The template has formulas I do not understand | Click the result cell and read the formula bar. If you see {{code:SUM}}, {{code:AVERAGE}}, or similar, leave those cells alone for now. You only need to notice that formulas exist; you will shape a chosen structure in a later lesson. |
| Excel for the web and Google Sheets show different template names | That is normal. Match by purpose (money plan, timetable, task list), not by identical titles. Your notes should use the exact name your gallery shows. |
5 - Independent Practice ~20 mins
Independent Practice
1. Open your cloud storage and go to {{code:Project_Portfolio}} → {{code:09_specialism/sm3/}}. If you do not see {{code:Project_Portfolio}} or {{code:09_specialism/sm3/}}, create those folders now.
2. Inside {{code:sm3/}}, create a new document called {{code:sm3_template_notes}}. Microsoft 365: from the folder click {{btn:New}} then a Word document (Word for the web). Google Workspace: from the folder click {{btn:New}} then {{btn:Google Docs}}. Rename the file to {{code:sm3_template_notes}} if needed.
3. Copy this two-row notes scaffold into your document (or use the paper copy your teacher gives you, then type the same rows into the file):
| Template name (exact gallery title) | Purpose (one line) | Link to my problem (one line) |
|---|---|---|
4. Using the browse notes from earlier, fill both rows. Start each project-link cell with the problem you wrote earlier (example: "Does my candle stall break even at 40 units?") then say which columns or sheets in that template would hold the answer. Your two picks must be different enough to compare (for example budget versus tracker), not two near-identical money sheets.
5. Check that {{code:sm3_template_notes}} is still inside {{code:09_specialism/sm3/}} and show your teacher the path if asked.
Optional stretch (only if the two rows are done and you have time left): open each shortlisted template again, capture a screenshot (Windows {{kbd:Win+Shift+S}}, Mac {{kbd:Cmd+Shift+4}}, Chromebook {{kbd:Ctrl+Show windows}} or the screen-capture shelf tool), and paste under that row with {{kbd:Ctrl+V}} ({{kbd:Cmd+V}} on Mac). Ask for help with capture from about the midpoint of the slot if you want images — they are a bonus, not required today.
- If {{code:09_specialism/sm3/}} was missing, those folders now exist under {{code:Project_Portfolio}}, and {{code:sm3_template_notes}} is saved inside {{code:sm3/}}
- The document (or transferred paper scaffold) shows two filled rows: exact gallery name, one-line purpose, and one-line link that starts from your own spreadsheet problem
- Your two picks are different enough to compare (for example budget vs tracker), not two near-identical money sheets
- Screenshots are optional stretch only — a clear written shortlist is enough portfolio evidence for this lesson
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